Restoration - Week 2

Again plagued by bad weather this week but cracked on with the restoration work. Managed to scrape and wire brush 13 terrace steps and clear all of the steps leading down to the pitch wall. Visibly improved the look of the old ground already and hopefully now saving this section of stonework for another few years yet. It's hard, dirty, time-consuming labour but the results are worth the huge effort we are putting in this month. As we clear more moss and dirt away from each terrace we are finding

that the neighbouring tree roots are undermining large sections of this 1947 concrete and we are now determined that these trees must be removed or we are in serious danger of losing what remains of the original New Cathkin Park structures. Again, this will be a mammoth task, but we had a visit this week from a tree surgeon who is keen to take on the project this summer. Ideally we would like the
ground returned to the early 1980s look featured below, from a photograph copied from the book

'Lost League Football Grounds' by Michael Heatley & Drew Heatley ISBN 978-0-7110-3475-4, which details the removed terrace sections and the planting of the nursery. We aim to grass over these sections until funds become available to rebuild the missing terracing from the 1947 plans. But for now it is vital that the stone terracing and steps and pitch wall areas are cleared of 50 years of neglect and we hope you will agree that already we have improved the look of one small corner of this

 famous old lady of the Scottish game! 2 wire brushes and a shovel already worn out in only two weeks of restoration graft though and another 2 bags of rubbish cleared up today and sad to see how much garbage still remains. We hope that by clearing up and restoring the ground that users will become a little more courteous with their waste than at present. And if you plan to visit the site please be careful when treading on the moss-covered terraces as they are treacherous...I have had 3 falls there already this week! So the sooner we get a safe standing & viewing area at Cathkin Park, the better, hence our urgency and work rate to clear this South West corner section at the moment.